The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-08-02

behind the shop to refresh herself with
hasty cup of tea. She had just taken
the first sip when iing-a-ling went the
bell, real boys jerk.
1t was not promising customer who
stood before the counter when Miss
Polyphemia went out; her practiced
eye discerned that at once. 1t was
hard to tell where the original mate
rial of his clothes ended and the
patches began. and his freckled face
looked thin and care-worn. Although
he was clean and whole, il was written
all over him from his thick crop of
tow-colOred hair to the toes of his boots
that Poverty had him under her thumb.
He inquired the price of Roman can
dies.
ut is marked on them; if you had
looked you would have SEEM" said
Miss Polyphemia, severely. But she
did repeat the price, as he raised a
pair of brave blue eyes to hers.
He took few pennies from his
pockets and counted them over twice
with a detected look. Clearly there
were not enough, and counting then,
three times did not make them any
more.
you haven't any for fifteen cents
apiece. have you?" he asked. as if his
last hope hung upon her answer.
NO" said Miss Polyphemia, shortly;
and the boy went out, opening the
door so slowly and reluctantly that the
bell scarcely tinkled.
He stood on the sidewalk and gazed
at the Roman candles.
"I'll have one yet." Miss Poly
phemia heard him say; and then he
hurried off with determined air.
Miss Polyphemia felt something like
pity for him, although he was boy.
Something in his frank blue eyes had
seemed to give her an odd sensation
about the heart.
"Pshaw! it isn't as if he had wanted
something to eat" she said to herself,
angry at her softness. eff he had a
Roman candle he'd only get into mis-
chief-set house afire or blow up all
creation, most likely"
Meanwhile the boy who had wanted
the Roman candle hurried along the
main street, his bright, hopeful eyes
and his determined step seeming oddly
ont of keeping with his poverty
stricken appearance. If they told the
truth, he meant to get Poverty under
his thumb some day.
He turned into Shoe Lane, a narrow,
dingy little alley, and entered little
house cleaner than its neighbors, but
dark and poor. His mother, delicate
woman, sad and worn. was ironing,
and his little sister was trying to set
table taller than herself.
"Barty, you'll have to get up before
five o'clock tomorrow morning and
carry these clothes home. Mrs. Sim
mons Is going away. and must have
them. and they won't be done until
midnight" said the mother.
"I'n be up, never fear" said Barty.
"And I'm going to help You iron; so
the things will be done long before
midnight"
"Barty. want you," called feeble
voice, and Barty hurried into an inner
room, where on the bed lay worn and
wasted little figure that was always
lying there through the long weary
days and weeks and months.
us your back aching, Jimmy?" said
Barty, tenderly.
"Yes, it aches awfully when you
don't come for so long. Iwant you to
tell me all about the ixin's for the
Fourth. Are they going to have the
band and the bloom on the common?
and which way is the procession goin'?
Oh, Barty, don't you s'pose there's any
way for me to see bit of the Fourth?
Last year l saw three or four rockets,
but then the great tannery wasn't built
between us and the common"
Bsrty said nothing about the Roman
candle that he hoped to. get and burn
on the fence directly under Jimmy's
window. Ii he shouldn't be able to get
1is ~
And they were having very hard work
to get the necessaries os life.
Barty was sixteen, but he was small
for his age, and every body in Plumley-
vile who wanted to hire boy wanted
big one. Barty had tried and tried
in vain to get situation. He was al
ways on the watch for "a job" He
felt himself to be the man of the fami-
ly, and he wanted to take care of them
all, to keep his mother from working so
hard, and TO get skillful doctor to
cure the spinal disease from which
Jimmy had suffered for years. And in
spite of the discouraging fact that he
had not seemed to grow an inch in the
last year-he kept his measure on the
woodshed door, and tried it every week
Barty meant to do it.